CRYSTAL METH AMPHETAMINE FORUM PLANNED IN LAKECITY

A community forum on crystal meth amphetamine will be held in the
lakecity on Thursday and Friday, February 2-3 at the Elks Hall.

The event has been coordinated by an ad hoc committee of community
social service agencies and government health and social service
employees, says Boys and Girls Club director David Sheach.

Thursday evening February 2 from 7-9:30 p.m. is intended as a public
information session and will include guest speakers and an
opportunity for questions and answers. Guest speakers will include
specialists in the field of drug abuse prevention, treatment, and enforcement.

Friday is an all-day event from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include a
repeat of the Thursday evening information with additional speakers.

A community planning session will be held in the afternoon that is
oriented around the four pillars of harm reduction, prevention,
treatment and enforcement. Outcomes of these discussions will be
collated, circulated, and shared with local governments for use in
framing next steps planning.

Keynote speaker Keith Pattinson has played a key role in the
introduction of a wide range of innovative services and approaches
benefitting children, youth and their families throughout Canada for
the past 40 years, and will speak on both Thursday and Friday.

He has pioneered the introduction of the Search Institute's asset
approach in Canada since 1998. He has delivered over 400 keynote
addresses focusing on positive youth development and facilitated a
similar number of asset building workshops.

Pattinson has been acknowledged by hundreds of Canadian audiences as
a master storyteller whose asset development message offers hope,
encouragement and practical ideas for those young and old who wish to
become increasingly significant influences in the lives of young people.

In thousands of workshop evaluations he has been described as one of
Canada's most inspirational, humorous and entertaining speakers.

Speaker Bob Huges is a drug treatment counsellor with the Phoenix
Centre in Kamloops and founder of the MethKickers treatment program.
delivered from the Phoenix Centre and has become widely known as a
pioneer in addiction treatment for crystal meth amphetamine.

Huges will also be giving a presentation on harm reduction providing
answers to common misconceptions and concerns.

Speaker Const. Paul Collister is the drug education officer for the
northern region of the RCMP. Collister is based in Prince George
providing drug education programming throughout the region and
providing support and training to RCMP members.

He is one of 20 drug education officers throughout British Columbia.
Collister's presentation will provide an overview of the
pervasiveness of Crystal Meth amphetamine and its effect on the
social fabric of communities as well as its toll on enforcement
resources and community social health.

The forum is made possible by the efforts of committed community
social service workers, donations from the Daybreak Rotary and the
Elks, as well as a financial contribution from the City of Williams Lake.

For information about, or to register for, the workshop on Friday
call David Sheach at the Boys and Girls Club at 392-5730 or Roseanna
McGregor at the Cariboo Friendship Centre at 398-6831.